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    Home » Vegetable Based Recipes

    Dehydrated Beets

    Published: March 9, 2022Updated: March 9, 2022 · This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking a link, I may earn a small commission. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. See Our Full Disclosure Policy for More Information

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    Cooking Methods
    • Dehydrator
    • Mandolin (helpful, but optional)
    Recipe Time :20 hrs 25 mins
    Servings: 12

    Recipe Rating

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    Fresh beets beside dehydrated beet chips.

    What do you do when you have so many beets that you don't know what to do with them all? Preserve them through dehydration! Although the process takes between 16-24 hours, it's super easy to do and almost completely hands-off.

    Beets are one of my favorite root vegetables and in the fall I went to an auction and bid on beets. I won the bid and that's when I found out just how many beets were in 4 bushels! It's A WHOLE LOT of beets! They ranged in size from very small, almost bite size, to the size of a baseball. The small ones I processed and froze, but wanted to experiment with the medium to large beets.

    Fresh beets beside dehydrated beet chips.

    I saw several recipes for making beet chips using dehydration, so I thought I would try that for a healthy snack. I don't recommend it! If you want delicious and crispy chips that are a replacement for potato chips, use this recipe for Air Fryer Beet Chips instead. You will love them. The dehydrated beets were not crisp or pleasing in this form, BUT I found so many cool ways to use them. Dehydrating beets is absolutely a great way to preserve your beets for longer term storage.

    air fryer beet chips piled in a metal mesh basket.
    Air Fryer Beet Chips
    Find What You Are Looking for Quickly Collapse Table of Contents
    1 Frequently Asked Questions
    2 Uses for Dehydrated Beets
    3 Supplies Needed for Dehydrating Beets
    4 How to Dehydrate Beets
    5 How To Dehydrate Beet Slices

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Do you have to cook beets before dehydrating them?


    For the best results, I recommend a short cook time by either blanching the beet slices quickly or processing the whole beet like I do in this recipe. Keeping the beets whole with the skin on for a short pressure cook or boil time makes the process so easy. Once slightly cooked, the skins basically fall off and the beets are so much easier to slice.

    Can I dehydrate beets in the oven?


    I have found that the beet slices dehydrate better at a low temperature, which most ovens can't be set for. The ideal temperature I found is 130℉/55℃. At this temperature, the sliced beets dry evenly without actually cooking. Since most ovens don't go below 200℉/100℃, the results may not be as good in an oven. However, if you have a warming function on your oven, that would be a good choice to try. Simply line a baking sheet with the beet slices and put them in the oven on the warming setting and keep them there for 16-24 hours or until they are completely dry.

    How long will dehydrated beets last?


    Forever! I read somewhere that when properly dehydrated, beets will last up to 33 years. That's forever to me! However, I always try to use them up within a couple of years.

    The most important thing is to make sure they are completely dry. If there is any moisture left in the homemade beetroot chips, they are susceptible to growing bacteria or mold. It is also important to store them correctly so they don't absorb moisture from the air. I like to vacuum seal my dehydrated beet chips, but you can store them in any airtight container. You also want to store them at room temperature.

    Uses for Dehydrated Beets

    There are a lot more uses for dried beets than you may think! I've been trying different ways to use them and have been very pleased with the results. As I explore dehydrated foods and uses for them, I will be adding more recipes on using them in dishes as well as other uses, so stay tuned!

    Here are some of the things I've done with great success.

    Beetroot Powder

    To make beetroot powder, simply take the dehydrated beet slices and process them into a fine powder using a high speed blender like a Vita-mix type blender or the Ninja Foodi Blender.

    Uses for Beet powder:

    Mix with a small amount of water to make a plant-based dye for food or clothing

    Add to smoothies for extra nutrition. A beet-blueberry smoothie is amazing!

    Add the powder to chocolate cake instead of red food coloring for Red Velvet Cake

    Quick Pickled Beets

    I have a recipe coming out for this in just a few days and I will update this post with the pictures and link. I'm so excited that I can make a jar of pickled beets with eggs in a matter of minutes any time I want!

    Reconstitute for Eating

    There are several ways to reconstitute the dehydrated beets depending on what you want to use them for.

    If you wanted to serve the beets as a side dish with dinner, the easiest way I found is to pressure cook them in water for a few minutes. Simply place the dried beet slices into the inner pot of your pressure cooker and add 1½-2 cups of water for every 1 cup of dehydrated beet slices and pressure cook on high for 2 minutes. When the time is up, let the pot do a full natural release. This is important because it's during the natural release that the beets fully absorb the liquid and plump up.

    I've also simply placed the beets in a bowl of cold water and let them soak until they are reconstituted fully. This technique is great if you want to add fairly firm beets to a salad or grate them into a dish.

    Supplies Needed for Dehydrating Beets

    Food Dehydrator

    You can use any kind of dehydrating appliance that you have. What I use for all of my dehydrating needs is the Ninja Foodi XL Pro Oven. I find that this appliance is perfect for dehydrating, but also has tons of other uses and sits on my countertop all the time.

    If you are using a different appliance that has multiple uses, like the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker & Air Crisper, you may need to reduce the amount of beet slices you can do at once and it might be necessary to rotate the shelves of the dehydrating rack.

    Dehydrator Trays

    If you have the Ninja Foodi oven, you can use the air fryer basket and even the dark tray lined with parchment paper if you don't have the dehydrating trays that fit. For the XL model, you can purchase the dehydrating kit on their website: Ninja Foodi XL dehydrating kit. The beets that are on a solid surface tray will take longer than those that are on the mesh basket because of reduced air flow.

    Mandoline Slicer or a Very Sharp Knife

    A mandolin is going to make slicing the beets so much easier and quicker. The other advantage of using a mandolin is the uniformity of all the slices. The mandolin that I use is metal and comes with a cutting glove, which I absolutely LOVE. You can find it here on Amazon: Mandolin Slicer with Cut Resistant Glove

    If you don't have a mandolin, use a sharp knife that is large enough to slice through the beet in one pass. I recommend an 8" chef's knife.

    Pressure Cooker

    I'm including this in the list, but it is completely optional. Obviously, you can dehydrate beets without a pressure cooker. However, you do need to par cook them for the best results and I found that using a pressure cooker with whole unpeeled beets was the easiest way to cook them.

    So, if you have a pressure cooker definitely use it and I'll include the instructions below.

    How to Dehydrate Beets

    Par cooking the Beets

    I've seen recipes that say you don't have to cook the beets first, and this very well may be true, but if you have ever tried to slice a raw beet into uniform slices that are about ¼" thick, then you know what a pain that is.

    I have not tried this recipe without par cooking the beets and I don't plan to because I don't want the hassle of peeling and slicing a raw beet ever. I like my sanity, or what's left of it.

    Pressure Cooking

    The easiest way I've found to par cook the beets is in my Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker. I put 1 cup of water in the inner pot, use the basket or the rack to hold the beets and pressure cook for 5 minutes on high with an immediate release of pressure.

    Then put the beets under cold running water and rub the skin off. Or, put the beets in a bowl of cold water and rub the skins off.

    pressure cooking and putting beets in water.

    Here is a quick video showing how I do this.

    Stovetop

    You can also fill a pot with water and bring it to a boil and put the beets into the pot to boil for about 20 minutes or so. Then, remove and place in cold water to peel them.

    Blanching works as well, but you would have to slice the beets first and I avoid that at all cost!

    Cutting the Beets

    I chose to slice my beets, but you can cut them other ways. You can dice them into 1" cubes or cut them into strips. It really doesn't matter how you cut them, but the larger they are, the longer they will take to dehydrate.

    For this reason, I like to do ⅛-¼" slices. I use a mandolin to ensure my slices are uniform so they all dehydrate at the same time.

    slicing beets with a mandoline

    A sharp knife also works and a little tip is to slice off a tiny bit of the side of the beet to create a flat surface on the cutting board. This will provide stability and it's easier to get uniform slices.

    Dehydrating Beets

    Line the beet slices on your dehydrating trays in a single layer. Set the dehydrator to 130℉/55℃ and set the time for 20 hours.

    I've tested this recipe a lot of times and the time it has taken for the ⅛-¼" slices has varied from 16 hours to 20 hours. So, check on the beets at 16 hours if you want, but you will not do any harm in letting them go the entire 20 hours.

    placing beet slices on trays and into the dehydrator

    You may also find, depending on the style of dehydrator that you have that you have to go longer to get them completely dehydrated. That is perfectly fine. You won't over dehydrate them if you go longer. The drier they are the better for long term storage.

    This is one of the most important parts about dehydrating food for storage, you have make sure you remove all the water content from the food or it can grow bacteria or mold. When in doubt, dehydrate longer. *This is not the case with things you are going to eat right away like beef jerky or fruit leather, you can over dehydrate those things.

    Storage of Dehydrated Beets

    The way you store your dehydrated beets is very important for longevity. There is moisture in the air and if they are not in an airtight container and have limited exposure to humidity, they can absorb water and spoil.

    Remove the dried beets from the trays and either use a vacuum sealer or another airtight container to put the beets in for storage.

    removing dehydrating trays and putting dehydrated beets into a ziplock bag.

    Don't put the dehydrated beets in the refrigerator or freezer, these environments can lead to them absorbing moisture.

    Store the beets in a cool dry place in the proper container and they will last a very long time!

    Fresh beets beside dehydrated beet chips.

    How To Dehydrate Beet Slices

    Recipe By: Louise
    Dehydrating Beets for long term storage is a great way to preserve them and it's super easy to do.
    4.50 from 2 votes
    Add to My Favorites Saved! Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 15 mins
    Inactive Time 20 hrs
    Total Time 20 hrs 25 mins
    Course Food Storage
    Cuisine Any
    Servings 12
    Calories 37 kcal

    Equipment

    • Dehydrator
    • Mandolin helpful, but optional
    Turn this on when cooking to prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients
     

    • 6 medium beets You can dehydrate as few or as many beets as your dehydrator allows.

    Instructions
     

    • Par cook the beets until a fork can be inserted, but they are still firm. I pressure cook mine for 5 minutes and it works perfectly. You don't even have to peel the beets before pressure cooking, simply run them under cold water when they are done and the skins will rub right off.
    • Using a mandolin or a sharp knife slice the peeled beets into ⅛-¼" slices.
    • LIne the dehydrator trays with a single layer of beet slices. Set the dehydrator to 130℉/55℃ for 20 hours. They usually take between 16-20 hours to completely dehydrate, but if your humidity levels are higher or if your slices are thicker, it could take longer. Continue dehydrating them until they are completely dry.
    • Remove the dehydrated beets from the trays and transfer them to an airtight container. Store in a cool, dry place. When properly dehydrated & stored, the beets will last many years.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 0.5cupCalories: 37kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 66mgPotassium: 276mgFiber: 2gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 28IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 14mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword How to dehydrate beets
    Course Food Storage
    Cuisine Any
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    ABOUT THE RECIPE AUTHOR, LOUISE LONG

    Louise is a full-time recipe creator and food blogger @ The Salted Pepper. She has over 30 years of experience with cooking and recipe development. She owned a restaurant for several years and was a full-time RN until retiring to blog full-time.

    Picture of Louise.

    She published her first cookbook in the Fall of 2018 and is very interested in writing several more.

    Louise is also the creator of an online Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooking Course with over 100 instructional step-by-step videos. People absolutely rave about the course and all the value they have received from it.

    Louise has several very active Facebook groups that help people with the basics of cooking and getting the most out of the Ninja Foodi.

    Ninja Foodi 101

    Simply Cooking with Louise

    Louise is also a YouTube creator and you can find most of her recipes in video format on The Salted Pepper YouTube channel.

    She is very responsive to messages and eager to help in any way she can. Get more Information about Louise & contact information

    I WOULD LOVE TO SEE WHAT YOU ARE COOKING UP IN YOUR KITCHEN! TAG ME @THESALTEDPEPPER ON YOUR FAVORITE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM WHEN YOU MAKE A DISH!

    BE SURE TO FOLLOW THE SALTED PEPPER RIGHT HERE ⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓

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    Comments

    1. Amy G

      April 12, 2022 at 3:59 pm

      5 stars
      Im dehydrating basil I'm confused do I use the pressure cooking lid or the crisping lid?
      I loved your chicken tortilla soup!

      Reply
      • Louise

        April 13, 2022 at 5:38 pm

        The dehydration function only works with the crisping lid. Lower temps work best with herbs.

        Reply

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